1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an on-line cash transfer system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system for purchasing goods and/or services wherein the source of the funds utilized for the on-line purchase is anonymous and cannot be directly traced to the owner of the funds.
2. Description of Related Art
Commerce executed on the Internet or on-line is exponentially increasing day by day. However, it is speculated that commerce conducted via the Internet or on-line is in its infancy and will grow substantially larger in coming years.
Much of the apprehension or reluctance of on-line users to make purchases via the Internet is the fear or concern associated with providing credit card or other personal information (e.g., names, numbers, expiration dates, etc.) over the Internet. Further, many on-line purchasers are concerned about the establishment of a paper record documenting the goods and/or services that they purchase. Although most on-line providers of goods and/or services offer secured means for obtaining their products, a large section of the on-line using public remains apprehensive to provide such information and make purchases in this manner.
One prior art method of anonymous electronic cash management is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,014,646 that issued Jan. 11, 2000 to Vallee et al. Vallee et al. discloses a payment method whereby a customer withdraws from his or her bank a sum in the form of “blind” electronic coins or cash and deposits the latter in one or more anonymous accounts located in a kiosk. The customer may then use the account or accounts for paying suppliers of goods or services. Accordingly, a supplier obtains the guarantee of being paid and the customer remains anonymous in the sense that his identity is not linked with his or her payments.
A second anonymous on-line cash management method was disclosed by the DigiCash Corp. In the Digicash method, a consumer deposits funds in an on-line account by mailing a credit card voucher of a check to an on-line bank. E-cash tokens are then exchanged for traditional currency and a requested amount of electronic money is transferred from an on-line bank account to the consumer's computer hard drive. The consumer may then use their account numbers to electronically purchase goods and services. Following the purchase transaction, the on-line merchant that receives the e-cash token may redeem them at an on-line bank account.
While each of the above methods appears to disclose an anonymous means of funds transfer, a close review indicates that in each case some form of document (i.e., a paper trail) is created that would facilitate tracking or monitoring of the entire transaction. Accordingly, there exists a need for a new method of assisting the anonymous on-line purchase of goods and/or services that eliminates the drawbacks and apprehensions produced by the current method of conducting on-line purchases.